The Cyclones had a case of deja vu on Wednesday night, but this time they made sure it went in their favor.
Elizabethton scored three runs in the 10th inning to take an 8-5 victory over Stewart County in the Class AA Baseball tournament – nearly 24 hours after suffering a walk-off loss to the Rebels in the first game. Earlier in the day, the Cyclones rolled to a 12-0 victory over Grundy County to stay alive in the tournament.
With the win on Wednesday night, Elizabethton will take on Riverside at 3 p.m. EDT/2 p.m. CDT at Smyrna. If the Cyclones win the first game, there will be an if necessary game later Thursday evening with the winner going to Friday’s state championship game.
Against Stewart County, Elizabethton was first on the board in the top of the second as Colten Miller scored off a Jacob Mullins single. Matthew Dailey hit a double to left field that brought Corey Russell across home plate to give EHS a 2-0 lead after three complete innings.
In the fourth, a Russell single allowed Ethan Eggleston and Evan Carter to cross home plate as the teams entered the home side of the inning. The Rebels, however, countered with two runs of their own to cut the EHS lead in half, and SC tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with a two-RBI two-out single.
Neither team was able to plate a run over the sixth or seventh inning forcing extras.
Eggleston broke the stalemate in the eighth as he scored on an error, but the Rebels countered in the bottom of the frame.
After a quiet ninth inning, Elizabethton took control in the top of the 10th.
Ryan Wetzel crossed home plate off a Carter single, and Carter pushed the lead to 7-5 after scoring on an error. Evan Perkins capped off the scoring as he plated Russell with an RBI. The EHS defense secured the win as they retired the Rebels in order with just four pitches.
Eggleston had a banner day as he went 4-for-6 at the plate, while Russell added three hits for EHS. Wetzel, Carter, Perkins, Dailey, and Mullins all had two hits apiece.
Russell picked up the win on the mound as he pitched just over five innings of relief. The junior allowed one earned run on three hits. Dailey had a strong showing as he allowed just three hits in just under five innings of work.
Against Grundy County, the Cyclones jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and left no doubt as they combined for nine runs in the third and fourth inning.
Perkins was 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Logan Estep, Nick Johnson, Wetzel, Carter, and Russell all added a hit. Johnson also added three RBI.
Tre Shoun earned the win as he allowed no hits in three innings of work.
